Northern Cass Middle School in Hunter, North Dakota is located about 30 miles northwest of Fargo and the student body of about 650 students is made up of many rural towns. Unfortunately, for the school and townspeople, the closest first responders about a 30- to 45-minute drive away.

So the school’s eighth-grade class decided that was the best choice as a problem they could solve for the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow national Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) contest. They developed an app, the Emergency Video Assistance (EVA) that connects the caller with first responders during their lengthy drive, providing video and other information for real-time situational awareness.

The app is a national Top 10 finalist and claimed $50,000 for technology, and is one step away from the top three national winners, and two steps away from the top spot and the $100,000 prize, to be decided in May.

“If you’re in a situation where you can’t call 911, you can text or FaceTime so the first responders can see what kind of situation you’re in,” said eighth-grade student Halle Crockett. 
“The FaceTime feature connects with the first responders so they can see what’s happening as they’re driving to the location,” said eighth-grade student Mary Jodock.

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